AI - which I like to call "Architectural Intelligence" - is a tool that will one day allow us architects to fly. This book, like all Neil Leach's books, is a multi-perspective view of a possible future for architecture.
Wolf dPrix, Design Principal, COOP HIMMELB(L)AU
A brand new set of tools has inspired a new wave of transformative creative energy within architecture. This book is essential reading for all who want to join the thrilling quest of bringing the power of AI into architecture.
Patrik Schumacher, Principal, Zaha Hadid Architects
Clearly written and well informed, this book is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in AI and its potential application in architecture.
Wanyu He, CEO, XKool
Critical in our current condition, Neil Leach’s research into artificial intelligence broadens the implementation and importance of AI as a conceptual tool for students, designers, and thinkers.
Thom Mayne, Founding Partner, Morphosis
Artificial intelligence is everywhere – from the apps on our phones to the algorithms of search engines. Without us noticing, the AI revolution has arrived. But what does this mean for the world of design? The first volume in a two-book series, Architecture in the Age of Artificial Intelligence introduces AI for designers and considers its positive potential for the future of architecture and design.
Explaining what AI is and how it works, the book examines how different manifestations of AI will impact the discipline and profession of architecture. Highlighting current case-studies as well as near-future applications, it shows how AI is already being used as a powerful design tool, and how AI-driven information systems will soon transform the design of buildings and cities.
Far-sighted, provocative and challenging, yet rooted in careful research and cautious speculation, this book, written by architect and theorist Neil Leach, is a must-read for all architects and designers – including students of architecture and all design professionals interested in keeping their practice at the cutting edge of technology.
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction
AI and Architecture
Beyond Technophobia
The Prosthetic Imagination
Cyborg Culture
Extended Intelligence
An Introduction to AI
Intended Audience
1. What is AI?
The Different Forms of AI
Training Techniques
AI Tribes
Neural Networks
Backpropagation
Convolutional Neural Networks
DeepDream
Generative Adversarial Networks
From 2D to 3D
ArchiGAN
Beyond Representation
2. The History of AI
Alan Turing
The Birth of AI
AI Winters
Deep Blue
Jeopardy!
AlphaGo
Sputnik Moment
AI and Visibility
3. AI, Art and Creativity
A Brief History of AI Art
Who Needs Gauguin?
But who is the Author?
Rethinking Creativity
In the Mirror of AI
4. AI, Media Art and Neuroscience
Dreaming Machines
Dreaming Buildings
Machine Hallucinations
Architecturalisations
Can Machines Dream?
5. AI and Architecture
Coop Himmelb(l)au
Morphosis
Zaha Hadid Architects
AI Fabrication
6. The Future of the Architectural Office
Superusers
Autodesk v the Superuser
Developer AI
Spacemaker AI
XKool Technology
Spacemaker v Xkool
Re-Designing Design
7. AI and the City of the Future
iPhone City
The Information Architect
The Informational City
Ambient Intelligence
Swarm Intelligence
The Self-Regulating City
City Brain
Internet-City-Brain
8. The Future of AI
Kurzweil’s Predictions
The Singularity
AGI and Beyond
Prediction Errors
The Future of Intelligence
Architectural Intelligence
AI and the Future of Architecture
Notes
Index
In this two-volume series – Architecture in the Age of Artificial Intelligence – architect and theorist Neil Leach explores the abundant opportunities and challenges of AI for the architecture and design professions.
Some see AI as an indispensable tool that will make our lives easier, while for others it poses an existential threat to humanity. These twin volumes reflect this highly-ambivalent nature, offering starkly contrasting messages. Volume 1 reveals the potential of AI to revolutionize the design process and create a new utopia, while Volume 2 warns us that AI could be the death-knell of the architectural profession and lead us along the path to a dystopian built environment.
Architects and designers have an urgent need to understand these issues – and these two provocative yet informative volumes present the ideal starting point.